Insurance rates rising in Georgia due to Insurance Commissioner (Ralph Hudgens) giving in to Lobbyist!! (Atlanta: appointed)

[BeyondInfinity]

Ok Mods, please leave this in the Atlanta thread. I am looking for responses from the metro Atlanta crowd.

I am not sure if you all are aware of this or not but our current insurance commissioner is allowing insurance companies to raises rates on us and he is not doing anything about it. He is not doing anything about it because he was one of the politicians that voted to allow insurance companies to raise rates anytime they want without having to go before the commissioner or the state to get approval. Now we (Atlantans) have seen the highest rate increases in the country (Georgia insurance commissioner pilloried as pointless).

Here are some interesting quotes from the article:

"Since 2011, Ralph Hudgens has picked up a check as insurance commissioner, the elected official charged with regulating insurance in Georgia. But when it comes to protecting consumers from car insurance rate hikes, he’s as useful as a fellow with a coal shovel on a diesel engine.

When asked if he was trying to do something to hold down rates, Hudgens told the AJC reporters, “I can’t — the state law, those guys over there, have taken that ability away from me.”

Back in 2008, “those guys,” the state Legislature, the business-friendly fraternity that adores unfettered, free market, lightly regulated commerce, voted to take the handcuffs off insurance companies and slap them on the insurance commissioner. After that, car insurance companies in Georgia in almost all cases could increase rates without state approval."



"Hudgens, in fact, was also one of “those guys” in the Legislature. But he was not just a mere “guy,” he was chairman of the Senate Insurance and Labor Committee, a post that helped him be one of the top 10 legislators getting love (in the form of gifts) from lobbyists."

"One of those gigs is insurance commissioner, which pays about $120,000 a year and still allows time for a fellow to tend to other business if he must. Hudgens was able to find the time to run a portable toilet company in Athens, a billboard company, and do some land investing while overseeing some other business enterprises."


"The reporters located regular Georgians, such as Robin Greene, an instructor at a Christian school, who were struggling with the ever-rising insurance bills.

In an interview, they asked Hudgens what he could do to help drivers like Greene.

They said Hudgens was “stumped.”

“You kind of caught me off guard,” he said. “I really don’t know what to say.”

It was as if the insurance commissioner, the man whose job it is to know exactly what to say when asked questions like that, had never really considered the impact of steadily rising rates on folks struggling to get by."

"Insurance companies complain that the last two years have been rough, with car insurance claims overriding premiums. State Farm had it worst last year of all insurers, losing almost $7 billion on car policies but still earning $400 million overall in net income.

In 2015, State Farm made $6.2 billion in net income and $4.2 billion the year before.

Allstate similarly lost money on car claims but still managed to make $1.76 billion last year and $2 billion the year before."

"In the AJC interview, reporters asked Hudgens why Georgia should even have an insurance commissioner? How is he helping?

“Gracious, you are asking some questions,” he responded. “If you will go out that door, consumer services division, we have multiple people that do thousands of complaints a year, they end up getting millions of dollars back to consumers from insurers that they were not giving them to begin with.”

Then Hudgens got back to explaining his job. “It’s to regulate the companies …

Then his deputy, Steve Manders, jumped in — sensing his boss was struggling — and added:

“To make sure (insurance) companies are solvent.”

Why do we need to pay this man anything when he voted for a bill that would allow insurance companies to "rape" us of our hard earned cash? He is not doing anything because he is in bed with lobbyists. How is this not illegal? Why are you guys not standing up to corruption like this ins our government. If you all sit still and do nothing then be warned, this will continue to happen to us and you all will be wondering why!!! Write your congressmen/women and let them know that this is unacceptable and that we demand better than this goon that we have in place now as the insurance commissioner. This boils my blood and we deserve better than this, people.

[Gulch]

He's a corrupt paid-for shill? No s**t.

[Mgyeldell]

My car insurance rates are ridiculous. No Accidents, No Claims, 1 Speeding ticket that is about to fall off at the end of this year, and 27 years old. I pay $179 a month for basic liability. I have bare basic liability with Safeauto and my car will be 10 next year. This was the cheapest I could find. Every company I did a quote with says it the number of accidents in my area and other drivers.

[BeyondInfinity]

Originally Posted by Mgyeldell

My car insurance rates are ridiculous. No Accidents, No Claims, 1 Speeding ticket that is about to fall off at the end of this year, and 27 years old. I pay $179 a month for basic liability. I have bare basic liability with Safeauto and my car will be 10 next year. This was the cheapest I could find. Every company I did a quote with says it the number of accidents in my area and other drivers.

Write your congressman. We could have that $120,000 dollars that the insurance commissioner is getting paid to do nothing go to something else that's needed. If he can't do the job then there is no need for it.

[DreamerD]

Thanks for following.up on.this. Is this person's position something that can be voted on or is this an appointed position? I hope we have the ability to vote him out. I thought my insurance was bad but listening to everyone's story makes me.grateful. I am so afraid to move now.

Originally Posted by BeyondInfinity

Ok Mods, please leave this in the Atlanta thread. I am looking for responses from the metro Atlanta crowd.

I am not sure if you all are aware of this or not but our current insurance commissioner is allowing insurance companies to raises rates on us and he is not doing anything about it. He is not doing anything about it because he was one of the politicians that voted to allow insurance companies to raise rates anytime they want without having to go before the commissioner or the state to get approval. Now we (Atlantans) have seen the highest rate increases in the country (Georgia insurance commissioner pilloried as pointless).

Here are some interesting quotes from the article:

"Since 2011, Ralph Hudgens has picked up a check as insurance commissioner, the elected official charged with regulating insurance in Georgia. But when it comes to protecting consumers from car insurance rate hikes, he’s as useful as a fellow with a coal shovel on a diesel engine.

When asked if he was trying to do something to hold down rates, Hudgens told the AJC reporters, “I can’t — the state law, those guys over there, have taken that ability away from me.”

Back in 2008, “those guys,” the state Legislature, the business-friendly fraternity that adores unfettered, free market, lightly regulated commerce, voted to take the handcuffs off insurance companies and slap them on the insurance commissioner. After that, car insurance companies in Georgia in almost all cases could increase rates without state approval."



"Hudgens, in fact, was also one of “those guys” in the Legislature. But he was not just a mere “guy,” he was chairman of the Senate Insurance and Labor Committee, a post that helped him be one of the top 10 legislators getting love (in the form of gifts) from lobbyists."

"One of those gigs is insurance commissioner, which pays about $120,000 a year and still allows time for a fellow to tend to other business if he must. Hudgens was able to find the time to run a portable toilet company in Athens, a billboard company, and do some land investing while overseeing some other business enterprises."


"The reporters located regular Georgians, such as Robin Greene, an instructor at a Christian school, who were struggling with the ever-rising insurance bills.

In an interview, they asked Hudgens what he could do to help drivers like Greene.

They said Hudgens was “stumped.”

“You kind of caught me off guard,” he said. “I really don’t know what to say.”

It was as if the insurance commissioner, the man whose job it is to know exactly what to say when asked questions like that, had never really considered the impact of steadily rising rates on folks struggling to get by."

"Insurance companies complain that the last two years have been rough, with car insurance claims overriding premiums. State Farm had it worst last year of all insurers, losing almost $7 billion on car policies but still earning $400 million overall in net income.

In 2015, State Farm made $6.2 billion in net income and $4.2 billion the year before.

Allstate similarly lost money on car claims but still managed to make $1.76 billion last year and $2 billion the year before."

"In the AJC interview, reporters asked Hudgens why Georgia should even have an insurance commissioner? How is he helping?

“Gracious, you are asking some questions,” he responded. “If you will go out that door, consumer services division, we have multiple people that do thousands of complaints a year, they end up getting millions of dollars back to consumers from insurers that they were not giving them to begin with.”

Then Hudgens got back to explaining his job. “It’s to regulate the companies …

Then his deputy, Steve Manders, jumped in — sensing his boss was struggling — and added:

“To make sure (insurance) companies are solvent.”

Why do we need to pay this man anything when he voted for a bill that would allow insurance companies to "rape" us of our hard earned cash? He is not doing anything because he is in bed with lobbyists. How is this not illegal? Why are you guys not standing up to corruption like this ins our government. If you all sit still and do nothing then be warned, this will continue to happen to us and you all will be wondering why!!! Write your congressmen/women and let them know that this is unacceptable and that we demand better than this goon that we have in place now as the insurance commissioner. This boils my blood and we deserve better than this, people.

[PKCorey]

Originally Posted by DreamerD

Thanks for following.up on.this. Is this person's position something that can be voted on or is this an appointed position? I hope we have the ability to vote him out. I thought my insurance was bad but listening to everyone's story makes me.grateful. I am so afraid to move now.

The insurance commissioner is elected. Next election is 2018. He is not running for re-election. His deputy and a couple others are jockeying for position now.

Anyone who is smart could easily win election for the House and Senate on the the lower insurance mantra.

[demonta4]

Wolf PAC. We need to get money out of politics for this to stop. Many of our lawmakers in Downtown Atlanta are beholden to their donors and not their voters.

[DreamerD]

Originally Posted by PKCorey

The insurance commissioner is elected. Next election is 2018. He is not running for re-election. His deputy and a couple others are jockeying for position now.

Anyone who is smart could easily win election for the House and Senate on the the lower insurance mantra.

Thanks for the info. I hope to remember this thread come 2018. Again, crazy how ppl vote against their own self interest and justify it. I wonder what he told ppl to get elected.

[BeyondInfinity]

Originally Posted by DreamerD

Thanks for following.up on.this. Is this person's position something that can be voted on or is this an appointed position? I hope we have the ability to vote him out. I thought my insurance was bad but listening to everyone's story makes me.grateful. I am so afraid to move now.

Yes! These are the positions that are elected in GA:

https://georgia.gov/elected-officials

[DreamerD]

Originally Posted by BeyondInfinity

Yes! These are the positions that are elected in GA:

https://georgia.gov/elected-officials

Thanks!! I guess I will have a lot to think about next year.